Page 22 of Little Saint Nautilus

“An artificial one, right?”

“Yes. Artificial. And we might need some ornaments, too.”

He reached over to twine his fingers through my hand and continued watching out the window. After a few minutes, he spoke in a soft tone. “Did you know that many species of both land and marine origin have nesting instincts as a form of courtship?”

I’d heard about various birds doing so, trying to attract their mates with fancy nests. I hadn’t known there were marine animals that did it as well. Still, I liked the idea. Add some sparkle and flash to catch Nemo’s eye. I didn’t think I needed it, but I wanted to impress him all the same, and if I got to share some of my favorite holiday with him, all the better.

Before I got ahead of myself, I needed to see if he was anywhere near the same page as me. “Courtship? Is that something you’re interested in? With a human?”

Nemo looked over at me. “With another human? No. With you? Yes, I am quite interested. Though courtship isn’t necessary.”

I squeezed his hand and felt a grin tug at my lips. “Neither is the build-up before sex, but it makes it more worthwhile, more meaningful.”

Nemo made a contented hum in the back of his throat. “You may court me, then, Cory.”

The grin broke free. “All right.”

The parking lot was full of cars by the time we returned to the beach. It was late enough in the day that the sun broke through the morning overcast and was warm enough to walk around comfortably in long sleeves or light jackets. Nemo, of course, was happy in his crop top, while I’d thrown a hoodie on.

I got out and hurried around to help him down, and his hand immediately returned to mine. I loved how easily touch came to him. There was no hesitation or concern, no worrying about who might see. Nemo’s hand felt so natural in mine that I didn’t care either. I didn’t usually, but I’d been with a couple of guys who, understandably, were unwilling to show any kind of public affection. It wasn’t what I wanted, though. I wanted someone who could fearlessly hold my hand or kiss me when we were swept away and the moment called for it. Nemo didn’t have any reason to know otherwise, which was refreshing in its own way. I vowed to myself to ensure he always felt safe to be himself.

“You said it was inPirate’s Cove, right?”

“The cove beyond the rocks over there.” Nemo pointed to the rocky cliff that separated Pirate’s Cove from the main beach. We began walking toward the path that would lead us up to the top of the cliffs.

“When I was a kid, the cove was one of my favorite places at the beach. It always felt like a little magical world of our own, cut off from everything else. Of course, we would just climb the rocks instead of taking the path; it was part of the adventure to get there. Once I took an interest in surfing, though, I didn’t go as often, since the water tends to be calmer, the waves blocked by the rock wall. Sometimes, I would return to sit and ponder and appreciate the beauty, but I spent most of my time on the bigger beaches, following the waves.”

Nemo gave a thoughtful hum. “I was drawn to it for the calmness and separation as well. It felt like a safe place to come on land.”

“It is now, but it gets pretty busy when the weather is warmer. Unfortunately, a lot of other people know about our private world over here, too.”

The path was a gentle slope, but as we neared the peak of the rocks, it was enough of an angle that I was starting to feel the twinge in my knee. An ever-present reminder that my rock-climbing days were over. In fact, it dawned on me that I hadn’t been back to the cove since my accident.

At the top of the rocks, we reached the steep set of stairs that led down to the private beach. I exhaled heavily as I looked at them, and Nemo and I both said at the same time, “Stairs.”

I caught his eye, and we chuckled. “Not a fan either, huh?”

Nemo shook his head. “No, they are quite tedious. I am used to being able to ascend and descend with little to no effort in the water. Perhaps it will be easier this time since I’ve been in this form longer than usual and my legs are steadier.”

“Well, I’ll probably be slow going down, so you don’t have to wait for me.”

Nemo squeezed my hand before stepping in front of me to grasp the single rail. He looked over his shoulder at me. “We’ll do it together.”

I had to laugh at the determination on his face, as though we were about to conquer a much greater feat than a single flight of stairs. I gripped the rail tight, and we went down, one step at a time. The way I had to land on my bad leg, bring my other one down, and then lead again with the first leg made me feel like I was seventy instead of thirty, but my physical therapist would be proud.Up with the good, down with the bad.It had been said so many times during my time in rehab that it was now a mantra I repeated subconsciously.

Nemo walked just as carefully, though not as stilted as me, and we made our way down. It would have been laughable to see from the outside, but we cheered when our feet hit the sand at the bottom.

“All right, we made it.” I held my hand up, and Nemo looked at it, leaving me hanging. I chuckled and grabbedhis hand and put it up, before clapping mine to it. “It’s called a high five. It’s used as a brief celebration.”

Nemo gave me a half-smile, but he turned away, his attention on one of the caves. It wasn’t quite high tide yet, but it was getting there. Depending on the time of year, the high tide could reach all the way to the rocks and the caves, but for now, it just lapped at the entrance of the low-roofed cave.

I’d spent a lot of time in those caves as a kid, feeling like the cove’s namesake. It was said that the cove was once used by smugglers, so maybe there had been pirates of sorts. It was funny how things seemed so big when you were a child. Looking at the cave now, I would have a really hard time getting into it, especially with a bad knee.

Nemo pushed up on his toes and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll be right back.”

I had no choice but to wait there. It was beautiful, though, just as I remembered. Calm water, no one around. Seagulls sounded nearby. There were a few voices that drifted down from the lookout point above, but it still felt as magically isolated as it had before. Why hadn’t I been back?

The rocks? The stairs? Sure, it wasn’t easy, but it was doable. I’d made it down here just fine. Slow, but here, nonetheless.

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